Kobe Bryant joins Lakers practice for first time since injury

A significant missing piece stepped on the court Saturday at the Lakers’ practice facility, providing a psychological jolt to a team inching to climb out of the Western Conference cellar.

In what marked his first full practice since shattering his left Achilles tendon seven months ago, Kobe Bryant joined the Lakers for a series of five-on-zero drills, strategy and shooting work.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol described the setting as “very contained” considering the sensitivity surrounding Bryant’s injury. But Gasol described Bryant’s progress as a “great step forward” for obvious reasons.

“He looked really good. He looked like Kobe,” Gasol said. “I was very happy to see him and I’m looking forward to seeing him do more out there.”

Bryant has increased his on-court activity recently to running and light shooting, though the Lakers (4-7) haven’t offered a timetable on his return. But Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni expressed doubt this week that Bryant would play before Thanksgiving.

Should that happen, Bryant would miss at least five more games, including home games against Detroit (tonight), Golden State (Friday) and Sacramento (Sunday) as well as road games in Washington (Nov. 27) and Brooklyn (Nov. 28).

“That’s a guy whose presence you can’t replace,” Lakers guard Jordan Farmar said. “He got out there today and changed the tone on his first day back with us. It’s exciting to see. I’m looking forward to having him there. It’ll benefit everybody.”

Bryant hasn’t spoken to reporters since nine days ago in Houston. But he told NBA TV in a recent interview that he’d already be on the court had the Lakers been in the playoffs.

“I don’t know how effective I’d be, but I would play,” Bryant told NBATV. “The fade-away still works, the ball-handling and being able to post.

“Those are things that I can do right now. But it’s not the playoffs.”

Therefore, Bryant has tried perfecting the balancing act between staying patient with his recovery while staying motivated with what he called “the low-hanging fruit” surrounding the ongoing uncertainty about his return.

“That’s right there,” he said. “It’s very easy to get me going, hearing what everybody says and the countless times they write me off. That’s, like, really, really easy to hit that switch.”

Whether it’s a rising star (Davis), an established veteran (Randolph) or a third-string center (Mozgov), the Lakers have established a pattern where they’ve allowed the opposing team’s frontline players to bully them inside.